Why is Apple Vision Pro being called the next 'change'?

The new product Apple Vision Pro released by Apple shows their ambition to break through the limitations of smartphones and become the most commonly used device for a new generation of users. Can it succeed? Now I will explain to you whether the new product is worth your expectations.

Let me first explain the development history of personal computer devices. Before the launch of smart phones, ordinary users had to use computers to browse the Internet. At that time, computer products were generally Desktop computers, not laptops. Due to hardware performance limitations, power consumption and weight issues, only business people would use laptops. It was not until the emergence of smart phones that things changed.

After the release of the smart phone, the market has not yet found its direction. Even though Apple launched the first-generation iPhone, the market still has a wait-and-see attitude until Apple launches the second-generation iPhone. After joining the App Store, the "unique function" design of smartphones was broken, and instead resembled a computer host, focusing on improving hardware specifications. In terms of software functions, third-party software developers and users installed them as needed. Different software changes the way the device is used, making smart phones gradually become a must-have and portable personal computer product for users.

With the launch of smart phones, major manufacturers have concentrated on developing hardware for mobile devices in order to occupy a seat, so that while power consumption is reduced, performance is significantly improved. , Apple also benefited from the performance improvement and launched a tablet computer, which replaced the lightweight computer product "Laptop" that most people would buy at that time. The emergence of iPad improved the shortcomings of the past Laptop, including cheap display and low performance. With its own processor and the need to run huge PC software, the iPad has successfully created a post-computer era, and major manufacturers are also trying to launch tablet computer products.

Because of the emergence of iPad, Apple discovered that the characteristics of iPad can be applied to notebooks. For example, SSD can solve the shortcomings of mechanical hard drives, including power consumption, thickness, and weight. and reading and writing speed issues, it can also enable the device to start up quickly and enter low-power sleep mode. In addition, the mobile processors Intel Core 2 Duo and GeForce 320M, developed in cooperation with Intel and Nvidia, have sufficient performance to handle full versions of desktop software and system, making MacBook Air a new standard for the new concept of Ultrabook. Subsequently, major manufacturers began to develop Ultrabook computers to make mobile work more popular.

And Apple has begun to enter a relatively stable period. Apart from regular hardware updates for iPhone, iPad, and MacBook, there is no new development. Even if Apple launches Apple Watch, It does not make the outside world think that this new product can change the world, but the author believes that the development of Apple Watch is the product with the greatest impact.

The design of Apple Watch adopts a new technology due to the improvement of chip manufacturing process, which is the design of SiP System in Package, which integrates the main hardware such as CPU, RAM, and GPU. , integrated on one chip, greatly reducing the size of the device, allowing the device to be more flexible and add other different hardware or functions, such as using a larger battery to improve battery life in the same size.

Apple has continued to develop its own ARM architecture chips due to its success in the Apple Watch. Since most desktop computers are developed using the x86 architecture, it is necessary to For developers to develop software for the ARM platform, what is necessary is for them to learn the benefits and development methods of ARM. Since smartphones use ARM to save power, with the popularity of ARM, most developers already have The experience of developing ARM architecture is completely different from the era before the launch of smart phones (due to the low ARM share, there were basically not many developers willing to invest time and money in development.), with Apple's conversion software Raosetta 2, x86 software It can be automatically converted to run on the ARM platform, reducing the problem of lack of software when ARM devices are launched.

The Apple M1 chip is the beginning of the conversion to ARM, because ARM can greatly reduce power consumption when running compared to x86, allowing Ultrabook's MacBook series products to achieve better performance and battery life. The dramatic improvement and at the same time, the reduction in heat means that the need for fans can be reduced. With these new benefits, Apple has applied all the above technologies in Appel Vision Pro.

Apple Vision Pro requires light, thin, desktop-level computing, low latency, high resolution, multi-lens combination, ultra-precise spatial detection lens, ultra-high-definition lens, and Software integration capabilities are the result of Apple's step-by-step development in the past.

The following is Apple Vision Pro, benefiting from the results of past product development:

Processor: M2 Chip (MacBook series, performance is higher than desktop-level chips)

RAM: Unified memory (thanks to M2, RAM is integrated with CPU/GPU, transmission can reach 100 GBps)

Display : 23 million pixels (new technology, making the pixel density 64 times higher than iPhone 14 Pro Max)

Camera lens: LiDAR (originally a technology used to explore Mars, a sensor that can accurately map space)

Software: Software that directly supports iOS, macOS and iPadOS, so that there is already a large amount of software support when the product is first launched.

The way Apple succeeded in the past can be summarized as follows:

1: Designing products that have never appeared in the past (Apple launched personal computers, breaking the concept that computers are unaffordable to ordinary people) )

2: Break the use of old devices (after the iPhone joins the App Store, the phone function is no longer single, that is, software support)

3: The iPad was initially launched at a lower price Seize the market (lack of software support when first launched)

4: MacBook has greatly improved the shortcomings of similar products (Notebook has greatly improved the problems of low performance and low battery life, that is, portable performance capabilities.)

Currently, Apple Vision Pro has two projects, conditions 2 and 4, that is, it breaks the head-mounted device and can directly support a large number of software, instead of requiring developers to develop special software. Use, and due to a number of hardware improvements, the portability and image resolution issues of head-mounted devices have also been greatly improved. Therefore, currently we only need to solve the problems of high selling price (condition 3: price), body size and battery life. (Condition 4: Portable performance), it can basically replace tablet computers and notebooks.

However, to replace a smartphone, there is still a necessary factor, which is that new information can still be displayed at any time when the device is not in use. If Apple Vision Pro cannot solve the current problem, With the restriction of "interaction only when the user is using the device", it will only be an auxiliary product for iPhone, iPad and Mac.

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